What is Moneyline Betting?

Moneyline betting explained. Learn what positive and negative moneyline numbers mean. Know when to bet moneylines instead of spreads. Calculate ML payouts when you’re betting more or less than $100. Convert moneyline odds to their decimal or fractional equivalent.

Definition of Moneyline Betting

Bet is made on outright winner. A positive number denotes the underdog. A negative number denotes the favorite. Two -110 negative numbers indicate no specific favorite. This is a PK or pick ’em bet. Choose either selection.

Moneylines don’t allow room for error. When in doubt consider betting the spread for football and basketball matchups.

Taking an obvious moneyline favorite can be expensive. A -300 football favorite requires $300 to win $100. This corresponds to a -6.5 spread. It would be cheaper to make a $110 spread bet to win $100. Use the $190 elsewhere.

Consistently breaking even on big favorites requires a high win percentage. See chart below.

Sportsbooks may not offer moneylines for some NFL or College Football if spread is 8 or more. Review sportsbook odds carefully as lines more before kickoff.

Tips

Compare numbers to find value. Shop moneyline values at different sportsbooks. One sportsbook might require less money to bet a favorite. Another may offer a greater payout for the underdog.

Use the moneyline when you’re confident in the underdog. Money line underdogs offer higher expected value than a spread bet. A -110 underdog spread pays $90.91 for every $100 bet. But a +125 moneyline pays $125 for every $100 bet.

Use moneylines for hockey, baseball and individual sports like boxing, UFC, golf or tennis. NHL spread betting takes the form of puck lines. MLB spread betting is known as the run line. These two bets are less popular than hockey and baseball moneyline bets.

Bet football underdogs on the moneyline when you’re confident they can win outright. Moneyline payouts are greater than a successful underdog spread bet.

Bet heavy moneyline favorites against the spread to conserve bankroll. Don’t risk $300 or more to win $100 when you could bet $110 to win $100. Save your money for other opportunities.

Combine multiple money line bets into parlays, progressive parlays, if bets and reverses.

Hockey 1st Period Moneyline. Choose winning team after 1st period. Sportsbook refunds bet if score is tied. Ideal for fast starting favorites or underdogs. Late match fatigue, line changes, etc. do not matter.

Moneyline Betting History

Moneyline or fixed-odds betting has existed since sports betting began. It later made its way to the United States in the late 1800s.

Interest in bookmaking increased as the first amateur sports leagues and racetracks organized in the United States. It wasn’t uncommon to find bookies around early ballfields offering bettors game odds or parlay cards.

Bookmakers occasionally struggled to turn a profit with moneyline bets. Sportsbooks must balance their action. Bookies quickly learned to set lines based off probabilities totaling more than 100%. This meant they could make a profit no matter the result.

Yet the occasional bad line bankrupted a budding bookie. Paying out heavy favorites was difficult if few bettors were attracted to the underdog line. Likewise, paying out a longshot underdog was hard if the bookie’s favorite line didn’t collect enough money.

The arrival of the spread bet in the 1940s remedied this situation. Bookmakers could finally generate long term profits.

Moneylines are still extremely popular for their simplicity. Well managed sportsbooks rarely have problems paying winning customers.